- Quick
Ideas...
Apple rings
Bean sprouts
- Bread
sticks
- Broccoli/cauliflower
flowerettes
- Capers
- Carrot
curls or sticks (Thin sticks or use a peeler for thin curls) place in a
bowl of ice water an hour or so)
- Carrot
Shreds or other vegi grated...
- celery
curls "
- Chives/onions:
whole or chopped
- Cocoa
- Cooked:
Whole pearl onions
- Corn
- Croutons
- Crumbled
Firm Tofu
- Cucumber,
slices, thin sticks, (Partially peel outside) (Flower cut the outside)
Daikon Radish
- Edible
Flowers
Violets, Nasturtiums, Roses, Marigolds, Squash blossoms, Lavender
Fennel tops
Fried Garlic
- Fried
rice noodles or chow mein noodles
- Fried
onion rings
- Grapefruit
Jicama: shred
- Lemon:
rind, curls, zest, slices, wedges
- Mushrooms
- Nuts
- Olives,
whole or slices, black or green
- Oranges
- thin slices, thin slice then twisted, wedges...
- Pea
pods
- Peas
Peapods mixed with peas.
- Peppers
red, green, yellow
- Pickles
- Pimento
- Pipe
mashed potatoes with a pastry tube.
- Pomegranate
seeds (can freeze)
Popcorn
- Purple
cabbage: shredded
- Radishes:
Whole or slices, or like flowers
Red pepper flakes
- Seeds
Soy Sauce
Spaghetti squash
- Spinach
or kale... raw or cooked
- Stuff
a cucumber slice with black olive or ?
- Super
thin cucumber slices, the long way: Twist and roll
- Super
thin zucchini slices
- Toasted
pine nuts
- Tomato:
Slices, wedges, whole cherry,..
- Whole
fresh Herbs: Rosemary, parsley, basil, chives, cilantro...
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- Soy
cream
Roasted red/green pepper blender into soy cream
- carrot
"
Put into squeeze bottle and decorate...
Fancy or just a few drops, or zig zag...
Dollap on something warm, let it sit a moment, then run a fork across
it... or marbleize
Ditto with any sauce you used in the dish...
Pesto
Mustard, any sauce..., Paint a line across the plate.
Olive oil on
plate and sprinkle balsamic vinegar over.
Sesame oil
just a few drops on a complimentary salad, soup, etc....
Homemade Potato chips: cookie cutter shapes
Sweet potato "
Purple potato "
Quick Color:
Nutritional yeast
Mild Paprika
Dried Parsley
Course ground pepper
Walk through the vegetable section in a grocery store... What looks fun?
Stuff a pepper
An onion
a bread bowl
Serve it on a spoon
in a wine glass
Wrap in a steamed swiss chard leaf
or raw lettuce leaf.
Serve plain rice scooped with an oiled 1/2 cup measure...
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-
Onion
Flower
- Remove
skin
- cut
¾ way through top to bottom
- hold
under running hot water
- and
spread a little
- Set
in red/yellow colored water
- to
soak.
- drain
- set
in middle of platter...
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- oiled
oranges
- Slice
oranges thin
- Top
with thinly sliced green onion
- Drizzle
with a little olive oil
- Freshly
ground pepper
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- More
Homemade vegetable flowers
Use red/ green chilies, or onions..
Slice long ways, almost to the end.
Place in ice water.
Radish
Eggplant
Beets.
White bulb of a green onion
Zucchini
Carrots
Purple cabbage
Red Pepper
Parsnip
Yellow squash
Slice almost all the way through.
Cut away excess.
Place in ice water.
Add contrasting color in center.
or slice a long thin piece, or use whole leaves... and roll up like a
rose. Secure with a tooth pick then put into ice water
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- Balsamic
Glazed Oranges
Mix :in sauce pan.
2 T Brown Sugar
2 T balsamic Vinegar
Bring to a boil and reduce to 1/2.
Remove and drizzle over:
2 oranges, peeled, sliced thin
Top with Green leaf
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- fried
Apple rings
- 2
apples core and cut circles
- melt:
- 2
T margarine
- 2
T sugar
- 1
T lemon juice (opt)
- cook
low til brown both sides 10-15
- For
red apple rings
add red food coloring
or for red cinnamon apple rings add 1/2 cup red hot
cinnamon candies to the margarine and melt.
Omit sugar.
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-
Pie
crust cut outs
Make an unsweetened
pie dough
Roll flat.
Use a cookie cutter or pizza cutter to cut shapes
Place on cookie sheet and bake until lightly browned. 450 around 8
minutes
Try to infuse a whole leaf or flower inside the pastry... roll very
thin...
or use cracker dough for a sturdier garnish that can stand up to
liquids.
Or even tortillas or bread slices work well.... Bake or fry crispy....
strips, shapes...
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- Don't
always mix things together.
Serve one in the middle and ring it with the other...
Or cover the plate with the sauce and place the item on top.
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- Bake
in individual dishes
Stack a bunch of leaves together, like basil, roll up and slice with a
kitchen shears to make long even strips.
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- Green
beans with a white sauce down the middle and black olives on top...
Tie asparagus together with a long peel of cooked carrot
Stick a sprig of Rosemary into a small roasted potato
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- Paint
with food
Fan things out...
Citrusy sauce?
use lemon slices...
Oriental?
Dot plate with soy sauce drops...
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- Red
with white
Holiday colors
Contrast colors
light and dark
Smooth creamy dish like mashed potatoes... top with a few fried crispy
onions...
Lighten with soy cream ?(or darken with soy sauce?) 1/2 of any sauce
and plate it side by side, swirl slightly.
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- What's
in season?
What do you have on hand? Grate it, shape it...
Vary textures... Smooth, chunky, flat, round, crispy,...
Make it 3D, Stand it up. Create layers, Sauce underneath,
Slice it sideways.
Create a focal point like a star/sun shape
Or frame it...
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-
Place sliced mushrooms and herb branches on bottom and sides of mold
that will be inverted before adding quiche like ingredients...
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- Weave
strips together...
Carrots, zucchini....
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TIPS
Give people the WOW factor,.
but it should be simple, not too distracting
Be creative., but make sure it is easy to eat.
People should know what they are eating...
The garnish should compliment the dish NOT take over the flavor.
Make it YOUR's.
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